Tenshi no Wakemae
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, July 2010
Station: NHK
Cast: Mizuki Arisa
Synopsis: 35-year-old Kurumi (Mizuki Arisa) finds herself in a desperate situation when her fiance runs away with all her possessions, causing her to lose her family, job, house and money. He has only left her 15,000 yen and a lacquer box filled with handmade rice balls coated with red beans. While she is at her wits end, she comes upon a construction site. As she distributes the rice balls to the old construction workers, her feelings undergo a change, and she seizes the moment to get back on her feet.
Website: –

Toubou Bengoshi
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Tuesdays, July 2010
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Kamiji Yusuke, Yada Akiko, Ishihara Satomi
Synopsis: Narita Makoto (Kamiji Yusuke), a passionate lawyer with a strong sense of justice, has been framed for murder, arson as well as embezzlement, and become a wanted person in Japan. While on the run, he uses his knowledge of the law to solve the problems of the people he meets, and searches for the real criminal in order to clear his own name.
Website: –

Hotaru no Hikari Season 2
Date: From 10.00 p.m., Wednesdays, July 2010
Station: NTV
Cast: Ayase Haruka, Naohito Fujiki
Synopsis: Amemiya Hotaru (Ayase Haruka), the jersey-wearing ‘dried up female’ who professed a preference “for sleeping at home over dating”, and enjoys an idle life, lying around and drinking beer, is finally considering marriage … What is marriage to her? And can she get married?
Website: http://www.ntv.co.jp/himono2/

Moyashimon
Date: From 12.45 a.m., Thursdays, 8 July 2010
Station: Fuji TV
Cast: Nakamura Yuichi, Nishida Koji, Kato Natsuki, Chisun, Haneyuri, Kimura Akihiro, Kurosawa Toshio
Synopsis: Sawaki Souemon Tadayasu (Nakamura Yuichi) is the son of the owner of ‘Moyashimon’, a long-established business which makes the mold needed for the fermentation in sake brewing. Sawaki, who has possessed the special ability to communicate with bacteria since his childhood, goes to an agricultural university with his childhood friend, Yuki Kei, the son of a sake brewer. His campus life is filled with eccentric people such as Professor Itsuki Keigo (Kurosawa Toshio); the sexy postgraduate student Hasegawa Haruka (Kato Natsuki); Muto Aoi (Chisun), a former Miss Agriculture and Itsuki’s only student; and Oikawa Hazuki (Haneyuri), Sawaki’s classmate who is obsessed with cleanliness.
Website: http://moyashimon.noitamina.tv/

Tetsu no Hone
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 3 July 2010
Station: NHK
Cast: Koike Teppei, Toyohara Kousuke, Usuda Asami, Cunning Takeyama, Nakamura Atsuo, Jinnai Takanori
Synopsis: Tomishima Heita (Koike Teppei) is in his third year at Ichimatsu-gumi, a medium-sized construction company, and has been transferred from the construction site to the First Sales Division. Heita participates in bid-rigging in order to prevent his company’s collapse even though he knows it is a crime. Before long, he gets completely absorbed in it. However, when he learns of the connection between the bid-rigging and his late father, he is at a loss and does not know if he should blow the whistle on the bid-rigging to prosecutors. Should he uphold justice, or should he protect his company …?
Website: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nagoya/tekotsu/

Mioka*NEW*
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, July 2010
Station: NTV
Cast: Yoshitaka Yuriko, Hayashi Kento, Maya Miki
Synopsis: One day, Taichi (Hayashi Kento), a university student who leads an ordinary student life, encounters Mioka (Yoshitaka Yuriko), an unrestrained girl. She lives with wild abandon and never suppresses her instincts. Taichi is attracted to her and the two of them fall in love before they are aware of it. However, Kento is told a shattering fact by Mioka. She has a brain disease that no medical treatment and wonder drug can cure. Her illness gradually advances and she finds herself losing control of her body … losing cherished memories … She comes to fear that she will not be herself … She has little time left. Mioka focuses on the life she has remaining until the very end and makes her way through it with all she has got in spite of the cruel fate. Taichi thoroughly loves Mioka, and decides to be the witness to the fact that she had once lived on this earth …
Website: http://www.ntv.co.jp/mioka/

Chance
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Saturdays, 28 August 2010
Station: NHK
Cast: Fujiwara Norika, Ichikawa Kamejiro
Synopsis: “Go!” Sayako (Fujiwara Norika) yells. The Arima Kinen at the Nakayama racetrack on New Year’s eve is reaching its climax. Her horse ‘Chance’ unbelievably closes in as it rounds the fourth corner. Next to Sayako are her two friends, who had raised ‘Chance’ together and stood with her through hard times. Sayako, who had been a career woman with a securities company, has come this far from the depths of despair because of her encounter with this thoroughbred, ‘Chance’.
Website: –

Tofu Shimai
Date: From 12.00 a.m., Saturdays, 31 July 2010
Station: WOWOW
Cast: Yoshitaka Yuriko, Tsukaji Muga, Tanaka Yoji, Muro Tsuyoshi, Miyazaki Miho, Kitaro
Synopsis: Three sisters live together as close friends in an apartment white like tofu. The eldest sister, Kinuyo (Yoshitaka Yuriko), a librarian, is a severe person. On the other hand, she is troubled by an affair with her boss, Ishida (Tanaka Yoji) and passes her days gloomily; the second sister, Momen (Yoshitaka Yuriko), is the number one female cabaret club employee because of her lively personality; and the third sister, Yuriko (Yoshitaka Yuriko), is a popular, young actress busy with movies and interviews. The morning breakfast scene is always the same. Kinuyo gets breakfast ready and Momen returns home from the cabaret club after Yuriko has just woken up. Then, Tanaka (Tsukaji Muga), a suspicious-looking man who has been secretly watching Kinuyo from the shadows, starts to bring about a change in her daily life …
Website: –

TBA*NEW*
Date: From 9.00 p.m., Sundays, July 2010
Station: TBS
Cast: Higashiyama Noriyuki, Tabe Mikako, Okura Tadayoshi, Yoshizawa Hisashi, Koike Eiko, Yashima Norito, Owada Shinya
Synopsis: Goto Hideo (Higashiyama Noriyuki), an ace doctor in the general medical practice, has returned from America. He never fails to listen to the words of patients, and is the sleuth of the medical community, unlocking the mysteries of unexpected illnesses not only from his patients’ medical history and physical symptoms, but also their home and work environment.
Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/program/nichigeki201007.html

Atami no Sousakan
Date: From 11.00 p.m., Sundays, July 2010
Station: TV Asahi
Cast: Odagiri Joe
Synopsis: One day, a school bus with four pretty high school girls suddenly disappears. Then three years later, one of the four unexpectedly returns. A perceptive national investigator (Odagiri Joe) investigates this new twist in the missing case of the high school girls. This leads him to a seemingly peaceful town where the dark hearts of its residents are gradually revealed …
Website: http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/atami/

Tsumakuki Satoshi and Matsuyama kenichi will be starring together in the movie “My pack page” by director Yamashita Nobuhiro, set in a 60s student movement. The two of them are involved in a friendly junior-senior relationship within the agency, whereas Tsumabuki is an aspiring young journalist and Matsuyama is playing the role of a student activist setting back said journalist.

Upon the beginning of the filming Tsumabuki said: “It was a time, where there was nothing anywhere and people sought the value in their existence. Either way, I hope to leave just a few foot prints in the time we are passing right now, as I am portraying our “era” together with Matsuyama”, apparently eager to start the filming.

Matsuyama also said excitedly: “It is really outstanding and I am looking forward to be playing this extraordinary character. Together with director Yamashita, Tsumabuki, our staff and the rest of the cast, we will all create a great movie.”

DIR EN GREY
In January, DIR EN GREY had been holding their performance at Nippon Budokan, of which the footage was made into a “movie version DIR EN GREY-UROBOROS-“. The piece, which has been veiled in mystery, has now undergone a trial airing for friends and business relatives and the contents have been revealed.

The footage shows the backstage stories of the final performance of DIR EN GREY’s world tour which succeeded the album release of “URUBOROS”, leading the band through 15 different countries. The movie is a different edition of the DVD to be released in May, where as the lives from January 9th is titled “-09-” and the one from the 10th as “-10-“, with two separate airings.

The fans who have seen the movie as representatives for the fans’ side said: “The cameras that were following the band members’ motions are very close to what the fans saw. I didn’t think that any footage can really express the things you usually only see at the lives, but the intentions behind it have been brought to the screen. I think this movie is a culmination of the band right now.”

Then, what kind of DVD has the “Movie Version DIR EN GREY – UROBOROS-” become in the end? Please make sure to watch it!

Hi everyone! This is musicJAPANplus writer Kanako! These days the sun’s rays are getting stronger, and it really feels like spring! In Japan the week between April 29th and May 5th is called ‘Golden Week’ since a lot of national holidays are bunched up around that time. Wherever you went, there were huge crowds. For this year some people even where able to take 11 holidays in a row! Now that’s impressive.

During the Golden Week many, many concerts were held! I of course went to see several performances! One of them was held by Versailles. The vocalist KAMIJO used to be a roadie for a certain band. Which band, you ask? (For the answer go the end of this Press Note!)

I hadn’t seen a Versailles concert for almost a year. Correct: In that performance I was able to hear Jasmine Yuu play the bass which filled the avenue with his music. Seeing a backup bass player performing onstage was very difficult to describe in words. [Jasmine You died on August 9th 2009. Causes of his death have not been made public.] The impression left to me watching the concert was that the other members where walking towards the future with Jasmine Yuu by their side. KAMIJO said “I hope we can send this to our friend in heaven…” Then all the members looked up towards the sky. Since the concert took place inside a music hall, you couldn’t actually see the sky, but I was sure that in their minds they could visualize Jasmine You resting among the clouds.

As for the concert, you could hear lots of men cheering. Among all the visual-kei band concerts I’ve been to, this one attracted the most male fans, it seemed! I always thought Versailles fans where mostly females, so the concert completely changed my view! When going to a Versailles concert you mustn’t forget to bring red handheld lights in the shape of a rose. The way the male fans were waving them was particularly impressive.

To those fans KAMIJO said “You guys look cool too!” That didn’t cause much of a reaction so KAMIJO quipped “Oh, so you all think KAMIJO looks cooler, right?” KAMIJO can be serious one moment, then funny the next. That’s why the fans love him so much!

He then told the fans that he thought TERU was cool as well. Screams went up from the audience, and KAMIJO followed that up with a joke. “No, you’re supposed to say ‘Ike-teru’! [‘イケてる (ike-teru)’ means ‘He’s cool.’]…Maybe that wasn’t as funny as I thought (laugh).” Needless to say the crowd was roaring with laughter!

The concert that day, from the beginning to its end, was arranged in such a way as to resemble a single, continuous story. Time went by so fast. As always, HIZAKI’s guitar-playing was superb!! I watched the show seated near HIZAKI. I was wondering “How could he move his fingers so quickly!?” …It was truly amazing… He must have inspired lots of fans to pick up the guitar!

These are some of the things that happened during the concert, and for more about their actual performance stay tuned for the upcoming live report☆ See ya!

Oh and one last thing! KAMIJO used to be a roadie for…MALICE MIZER! So for this concert [former MALICE MIZER member] GACKT sent a bouquet of flowers☆ It’s interesting to see how different bands are related to each other. Are there any connections we might not know of? Please tell us!

Ueto Aya recently posed for Seda Magazine’s May 2010 Issue. Here she is looking fashionable while at the same time, casual and as always, pretty and elegant. Check out the scans below for our favorite actress, idol, and singer – yes triple threat.

Recently, SCANDAL member Rina updated her twitter page with small bits of information regarding the group’s upcoming single “Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku Story“. Though she didn’t reveal too much information, but she was kind enough to answer several questions from fans, both regarding the new single and their new uniforms as well. The uniforms are the “trademark” of SCANDAL, so its no surprise that everyone is curious as to what they will look like… myself included.

Q: Can you describe the new single?
A: It’s an upbeat party tune for summer ♪ lol

Q: What about the coupling (B-side) song “SWITCH”?
A: Very real… a bit sentimental… pure… bittersweet (ya hoi: or touchy) song which I like so much.

Q: I like BEAUTeen!! uniform. How will the new uniforms look like?
A: Marine! Please look forward to it ♪

Q: What about “KOSHI-TANTAN”?
A: Super-party! Cool tune!

With an upbeat pop song for summer, it’s almost a guarantee that the single will be a big hit. Especially with the combination of Haruna’s cute and husky voice, along with the innocent voice of Tomomi. But of course, as with all artists in the music industry – there will be competition. And SCANDAL has their work cut out for them, as YUI and Sid will also be releasing new singles on the same day.